Folding bed for automobiles.



G. GALL/WAN.

`FOILDING BED FGR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED Aue. In. I9I.

' lw., Mmmm@ 7,191?.

JN VERI' TUI? G50/m5 @HM/70W@ GEORGE GALLAVAN, OF ORDWAY, COLORADO.

FOLDING BED ron AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent. l

Patented Aug. 7, 191'?,

Application tiled August 19, 1916. Serial No. 115,801.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE GALLAVAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of ()rdway, in the county of Crowley and State of Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Folding Beds for Automobiles, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention is an improvement in foldingbeds for automobiles, and the invention has for its object to provide a bed of thecharacter specified, so arranged that it may be folded into small compass for transportation in the automobile, and which, when unfolded and set up, will form a bed of reasonable size.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved bed;

Fig. 2 is a side view;

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view showing the connection of the end rails;

Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the joint of the locking mechanism, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section showing the method of connecting the longitudinally eX- tending brace rail.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the bed consists of a frame composed of sectional side rails,end rails, and supporting legs, each of the side rails consisting of similar sections 1 which are connected at their adjacent ends by a species of rule joint permitting the sections to fold in one direction andpreventing them from folding in the opposite direction beyond a position where they are in alinement. Each of these joints is shown more particularly in Fig. 4` and comprises a plate 3 which is provided with depending lugs 4 engaging on opposite sides of the joint between the sections 1 and a commonrivet 5, connects the lugs to the sections and the sections to each other. The ends'of the plate 3 extend in both directions from the joint and one of the ends is adapted to be engaged by a Aring 6 which is slidably mounted upon one of the sections 1, the ring engaging over the extended end of the plate to lock the sections in alineiment.

The mattress or covering 7 `for the body which is of canvas or like material is connected to the side rails 1 by' means of straps of leather or the like, the'said straps being arranged in pairs and being secured to the canvas at each face thereof by stitching or the like. One of the straps has a buckle 8 at its outer end and the other strap 9 is adapted to engage the buckle. One of the straps is passed below the sideV rail and the other above, and they are buckled together outside of the rail. Thus the covering is held in stretched position.

Each of the end rails is provided at its outer end with a head 10, and a reduced neck connects the head to the body of the rail. Each of these necks is adapted to engage an upwardly extending notch 11 in the plate 12 secured to the outer end of the adjacent section of the adjacent side rail. plates are so arranged that the notches, which open at the upper edges of the plates, are above the rails 1, and each notch inclines outwardly toward its upper end. When the stems are engaged with the notches, the head engages outside of the plate, lockin the end rail to the side rail. It will be noticed that the necks are polygonal, and that the op` posite sides thereof will engage the opposite side walls of the notch to prevent rocking of the neck in the slot.

It will Ibe noticed that the canvas 7 is connected with the end rails by forming tubular portions at the endsof the canvas through which the end rails are slipped.

A leg 16 is pivoted to each section of each side rail intermediate the ends thereof, and the body is braced longitudinally by the center rail 18 which is also sectional, while the side rails and the said center rail are connected with the end rails at their ends.

At each end of the center rail is a reduced extension 19 polygonal, in cross section, which is adapted to 4engage a similarly shaped opening in the lug 17- depending from the end rail 2. These lugs 17 space the center rail 'below the mattress or covering, and the sections of the side rail are connected 'by the same character of joint as connects the sections 1 to the side rails. The center rail is provided with a depending le 20 near the joint for supporting the centra portion of the leg, and it will be noticed that the legs 16 are recessedv at their bottoms, as indicated at 21, to fit over the top bow supporting irons of the automobile. Keepers 22 are provided on the upper ends of the legs 16 for engagin the top bows of the auto,

to lock the bed 1n position.

In use the end rails are slipped into the notches of the plates 12, and it will beevi- These,

dent that when the parts are so placed and the sections of the side rails are 'braced into alinement, the canvas 7 will 'be tightly stretched and when'the sections of the center rail are alined after the extensions 19 have been inserted in the openings of the lug 17, the parts are locked irmly in such position, and the canvas 7 will be so tightly stretched that it will not sag.

In order to unfold the bed, the side rails are first unfolded and the keepers or rings 6 are placed over the plates 3 to lock the parts in alinement. The rails are placed inside of the bows of the machine and the legs 16 are turned at right angles to the side rails and slipped on the iron supports for the bows. The rings 6 are now released from the side rails, the canvas 11 and the end rails are placed, and the sections are again alined 20 and locked in position. The 4brace rail is now placed and the straps 9 are again connected with said rail. The leg 20 rests upon the ifasaaaa floor of the car, bein necessarily of greater length than the other egs.

A folding bed comprising end rails and sectional side rails, a rule joint connection between the adjacent ends of the sections of the side rails, means for making the joint rigid, means for detachably connecting the outer end oi' each end rail tothe adjacent side rail, legs hinged to the end rails and the sections of the side rails intermediate y the ends of the said sections and rails, and arranged to fold perpendicular and parallel to said sections and rails, the legs of the side rail sections extending above and below the said rails, and having their lower ends recessed to engage the top bow supporting irons of the automobile, and having means at their upper ends for engaging the bows.

GEORGE GALLAVAN. 

